Broncos romp past Warriors 6-0 in Game 7

Swift Current advances to WHL Eastern Conference title series

The Broncos celebrate captain Glenn Gawdin’s second goal on Monday.

    MOOSE JAW, Sask. – The heart and soul members of the Swift Current Broncos bucked the Moose Jaw Warriors into the off-season.

    The Broncos big line of captain Glenn Gawdin, Tyler Steenbergen and Aleksi Heponiemi along with veteran defenceman Colby Sissons combined for four goals and seven assists to help their side dump the Warriors 6-0 in Game 7 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series before 4,765 spectators at Mosaic Place. 

    The victory on Monday night allowed the Broncos to take the best-of-seven series between the two powerhouse clubs 4-3.

    Moose Jaw finished first overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 52-15-2-3 record, while Swift Current was second overall with a 48-17-5-2 mark. Both clubs enter this series having won their respective first round series in seven games.

Warriors D Josh Brook (#2) check Broncos LW Aleksi Heponiemi (#20).

    The Broncos had a chance to win the series with Moose Jaw in Swift Current in Game 6 on Saturday night, but they saw a 2-0 third period lead evaporate into a 3-2 setback in triple overtime to create the need for a series-deciding Game 7.

    Swift Current advances to the WHL Eastern Conference championship series for the first time since 2001, and Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros was pleased with what his team was able to accomplish.

    “We’re ecstatic, (and) we feel like we are fortunate also too,” said Viveiros. “I am very proud of our kids.

    “Game 6, I thought we played really well, and obviously, we played a real good game tonight too. I have to give credit to Moose Jaw to come back and win Game 6. Tonight is one of those things that we scored at the right time.

Colby Sissons scored the Broncos first goal.

    “We had the momentum, and we continued with the momentum. We scored at opportune times.”

    Backed by a rink packed mainly with their home fans, the Warriors had chances early to take the lead. Overage right-winger Brayden Burke was denied on a shot from in front of the Broncos goal and Moose Jaw rearguard Josh Brook was turned away on a close in chance.

    Following those opportunities by the Warriors, the Broncos took a 1-0 lead, when Sissons slipped home a point shot through a screen at the 12:45 mark of the opening frame. With 35.4 seconds to play in the first, Heponiemi fed a perfect pass to Gawdin in front of the Moose Jaw goal, and he wired home a shot to give the visitors a 2-0 edge.

    Early in the second, the Broncos ensured the final outcome wouldn’t be in doubt. Just 3:22 into the frame, Steenbergen entered the Moose Jaw zone on a rush down the right wing and wired a wrist shot past Warriors goaltender Brody Willms to give the visitors a 3-0 edge.

    Just 78 seconds later, Sissons sprung Gawdin on a breakaway into the Warriors zone with a pass through centre ice, and the overage centre tucked home his second goal of the contest on a backhand shot to give Swift Current a 4-0 lead.

Brayden Burke had an early chance to score for the Warriors.

    At that point, the Warriors faithful was silent, and the cheers from a sizable contingent of Broncos supporters could be heard through the building.

    “They might have been louder than the Moose Jaw fans at times,” said Gawdin, who had two assists to go with his two goals. “That is just what our fans are all about.

    “At home, it has been nuts. They are our backbone throughout the whole year.”

    In the third, Heponiemi and Gawdin set up overage winger Giorgio Estephan for a power play goal, and Max Patterson added an even-strength marker a short time later to round out the scoring in the contest.

    “We played a great game,” said Estephan. “Overall, I think it kind of proves to our team that even though adversity and losing a big game like we did in Game 6 to come back and put up a game like we did today is pretty good.”

    Stuart Skinner turned away 25 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Broncos. Swift Current won three out of the four games of the series played in Moose Jaw and Skinner had shutouts in each of those wins.

Tyler Steenbergen had a goal for the Broncos on Monday.

    “It seems like we play really well in the Moose Jaw rink,” said Skinner. “Three wins playing away is huge. That is reason why we won this series.

    “I’m so thankful that I have this group of guys. We’re a family out there. I love it.”

    Willms turned away 32 shots to take the loss in goal for the Warriors. Veteran Warriors defenceman Brandon Schuldhaus, who will enter his overage year next season, was kicked out of the game after the Broncos scored their sixth goal having received a match penalty for attempting to injure after slashing Broncos centre Andrew Fyten in the head. 

    The slash occurred when Fyten drove to the Moose Jaw net and fired a shot on goal, and his rebounded was potted home by Patterson.

    The WHL office will review the penalty involving Schuldhaus for a possible suspension to start off the 2018-19 regular season.

A group of Broncos fans cheer on their team.

    Having downed the Prince Albert Raiders is a physical seven-game series in the first round, the Warriors had another physical battle on their hands against the Broncos. Moose Jaw head coach Tim Hunter said the injuries started to pile up for his squad.

    “It takes everything to fall into place,” said Hunter. “Everything has to go right to win in the playoffs, and it didn’t for us.

    “We had a lot of guys injured. A lot of guys played injured. We weren’t 100 per cent, and that was the tough part of it.”

    Viveiros marvel at the work of his club’s top forward line of Gawdin, Steenbergen and Heponiemi.

Giorgio Estephan had a third period goal for the Broncos.

    “They have been doing it all year for us,” said Viveiros. “We called them in that one line today before the game.

    “I said listen you guys have been doing it all year for us, and you have to lead the way for us not just offensively but defensively and all areas of the ice. I said you will play a lot.

    “They welcomed that challenge, and that is why they are a pretty dynamic group not just from their offensive side of it. As far as their leadership and their will to win, those kids really want to win. It rubs off on everybody.”

    The Broncos will face the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Championship series, and Game 1 set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current.

The Broncos celebrate their Game 7 series win.

    The Hurricanes, who were 33-33-6 in the regular season, are appearing in the Eastern Conference Championship series for the second straight year having bowed out in six games to the Regina Pats last year.

    Lethbridge eliminated the Red Deer Rebels in five games in the first round and took out the Brandon Wheat Kings in five games in the other Eastern Conference semifinal series. Viveiros believes his team is in for another tough set of games.

    “They’re going to say we are the favourites because of the regular season,” said Viveiros. “It is what it is, and we are OK with that. We can live with that.

The Broncos and Warriors shake hands after Monday’s game.

    “They are a good hockey team. You don’t win two series in playoffs with luck. They are well-coached and a great organization. (Hurricanes general manager) Peter Anholt is a real good friend of mine. I know those guys are going to be ready to go here.

    “Every series has its own individual story. We’ll see how that plays out starting on Friday night.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Warriors versus Broncos lives up to hype in playoffs

Brayden Burke has had a big post-season for the Warriors.

    As far as the WHL concerned, it has been the current day equivalent of Mohammad Ali versus Joe Frazer in boxing.

    Finishing first and second respectively in the WHL’s regular season standings, the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Swift Current Broncos are staging a classic heavyweight tilt in their best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series. After the four games, the series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.

    Game 6 follows on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current. If necessary, Game 7 is slated for Monday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.

    The Warriors finished first overall in the WHL posting a 52-15-2-3 record in the regular season, while the Broncos are second overall with a 48-17-5-2 mark. Due to the fact the two club’s play out of the WHL’s East Division, the latest they could meet under the circuit’s current playoff format was in the second round.

    While it easy to lament this series isn’t determining a conference or league champion, the stellar efforts of both sides shouldn’t be forgotten in the here and now.

Matteo Gennaro is starting to heat up for the Broncos.

    For the Warriors, the 2018 WHL playoffs is turning into the post-season of Brayden Burke. The overage left-winger has been playing arguably some of the best hockey of his WHL career.

    In the Warriors first round series win over the Prince Albert Raiders that went a marathon seven games, Burke was the difference maker on many nights. The Edmonton, Alta., product was the difference maker again on Tuesday netting two goals, two assists and posting a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department as the Warriors prevailed 4-3 in overtime at the Innovation Credit Union i-plex.

    Burke came to the Warriors in an early season trade in the 2016-17 campaign in a deal with the Lethbridge Hurricanes with some baggage surrounding questions about his character and maturity.

    He has been outstanding for the Warriors on and off the ice this season posting 31 goals, 82 assists and a plus-44 rating in 61 regular season games. His goal, point and plus-minus totals were all career highs and his assist total matched a career high.

    Burke, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 165 pounds, has been a standup person for the Warriors answering questions in a mature and thoughtful fashion win or lose. For those that have dealt with him over his four complete seasons in the league, he has visibly grown from a boy into a man, and he is every bit deserving of the three-year NHL entry-level contract he signed with the Arizona Coyotes on March 1.

Brett Howden scored the OT winner on Tuesday.

    The Coyotes signed Burke as an undrafted free agent.

    Warriors captain Brett Howden scored the overtime winner on Tuesday night netting a pair of goals, an assist and a plus-two rating in the win. He has two goals and four assists in the first four games of the series and is trying to do his best to leave the WHL on a high note.

    The Oakbank, Man., product is eligible to return for an overage season, but having signed a three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Howden’s return to the major junior ranks is not expected next season.

    On Swift Current’s side, overage centre Matteo Gennaro, who was acquired in a trade with the Calgary Hitmen earlier this season, is starting to catch fire. The St. Albert, Alta., product had a goal in Tuesday’s overtime time loss to the Warriors. On Wednesday, he scored all three of Swift Current’s goals in a 3-2 double overtime win at the Innovation Credit Union i-plex.

    Gennaro’s winner was a laser beam from the right slot.

    His performance became that much more important when the Broncos star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen went down due to injury early in the first period after being hit with a point shot from teammate Sahvan Khaira in the offensive zone.

    Netminder Stuart Skinner, who was acquired by the Broncos in a trade with the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Jan. 9, made 51 saves to secure the win for Swift Current on Wednesday. Skinner backed the Hurricanes to an appearance in the WHL Eastern Conference championship series.

Stuart Skinner made 51 saves in a win on Wednesday.

    The Warriors and Broncos have played hard in the shadow of an accident involving the team bus of the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with a semi-truck just north of Tisdale last Friday. The crash resulted in the deaths of 16 players and team staffers of the storied junior A franchise.

    Before Game 2 on Saturday in Moose Jaw, a moment of silence was observed at Mosaic Place, where the players from the Warriors and Swift Current Broncos rounded the centre ice circle in a show of support for the SJHL club. The equipment staff on both the Moose Jaw and Swift Current sides worked tirelessly and together to insert the Humboldt Broncos team logo on to the helmets of their players.

    Gennaro has been playing with a heavy heart having lost close friend Stephen Wack in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, and he mentioned his feelings on his Twitter account and post-game media interviews. Wack, who was also from St. Albert, was a defenceman with the Humboldt squad.

    Going forward, the series between Moose Jaw and Swift Current is a tossup. For those going to the final contests to close out this series, they will likely see some stellar games no matter who wins.

Wouters up for scholastic player of the year

Blades centre Chase Wouters is up for a major WHL award.

    On Wednesday’s Saskatoon Blades sophomore centre Chase Wouters was named the scholastic player of the year for the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

    The 18-year-old finished up his second complete season in the WHL netting 18 goals, 33 assists and a plus-seven rating in the plus-minus department appearing in all of the Blades 72 regular season games. The assistant captain has posted an 89 per-cent average so far in his Grade 12 year in high school.

    Wouters, who stands 6-feet and weighs 177 pounds, was ranked 103^rd among North American skaters in the midterm rankings for NHL Central Scouting. He is currently in Russia taking part in the Hockey Canada’s training camp for under-18 world championships along with Blades teammates centre Kirby Dach and netminder Nolan Maier. The under-18 world championships run April 19 to 29 in Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk, Russia.

    On a league level for overall scholastic player of the year, Wouters will up against Spokane Chiefs defenceman Ty Smith, who was named the scholastic player of the year for the WHL’s Western Conference.

    The Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy for the WHL’s scholastic player of the year will be handed along with all the other league’s major awards on May 2 in Red Deer, Alta.

    The last member of the Blades to be named the WHL’s scholastic player of the year was defenceman Nelson Nogier back in the 2013-14 campaign.

Back in the Express with a story on Jockims

Kaitlin Jockims helped the Star win a SFMAAAHL title.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with ultra-talented double sport athlete Kaitlin Jockims.

    The 16-year-old Grade 10 student at Centennial High School is a star guard for the Chargers senior girls’ basketball team and a standout winger on the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA hockey team. Jockims has played in the provincial team program for both basketball and hockey.

    This season, Jockims helped the Chargers earn a berth in Hoopla, which is the Saskatchewan provincial high school basketball championship tournament, held in late March in Prince Albert. She aided the Stars in winning their third Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League title in the last four years and earn a berth at the Esso Cup national female midget AAA hockey championship tournament for the third time in the last four years.

    The Esso Cup runs April 22 to 28 in Bridgewater, N.S.

    She recently attended a tryout camp for Canada’s under-17 girls’ basketball team in Toronto, Ont.

Jockims father is Greg Jockims, who guided the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team to a U Sports national title in 2010 as head coach.

    The story on Kaitlin Jockims can be found right here.

Drinnan’s Humboldt Broncos piece to appear in the Express

    In the aftermath of the tragedy involving the Humboldt Broncos bus accident, Gregg Drinnan, who is “the Dean” when it comes to covering the WHL, penned an upbeat fictitious piece about the storied junior A franchise.

    Last Friday, the Broncos bus was involved in an accident with a semi-truck just north of Tisdale. The crash resulted in the deaths of 16 players and team staffers from the club.

    In a tribute for the team, people across Canada and I dare say the world have been placing hockey sticks outside of their homes at night for the deceased Broncos players to use in the afterlife.

Drinnan wrote a piece about the members of the team who have passed on playing a game in the afterlife. It was an outstanding read and has receive much praise.

    It will appear in the hard copy of the Saskatoon Express next week. Drinnan’s piece online can be found right here.

Everyone heals differently, I’m ready to travel

Just taking a quick selfie out on the WHL circuit.

    With the bus accident involving the Humboldt Broncos hitting so close to home, everyone has been dealing with this tragedy in their own way.

    Everyone has to be allowed to heal up and move on with their own time.

    On Wednesday, the board of governors of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, which the Broncos are part of, voted unanimously to continue with the league’s playoffs. The best-of-seven Canalta Cup league championship series will be played between the Nipawin Hawks and the Estevan Bruins beginning on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Nipawin.

    The Broncos at the time of their crash were playing the Hawks in a best-of-seven league semifinal series on the junior A circuit, which the Hawks were leading 3-1. The Humboldt squad was on the way to Nipawin for Game 5 of that series when the bus accident occurred.

    I am all in favour of this move by the SJHL. I believe playing the games will help the overall healing process.

    On Tuesday, I wrote about my experiences riding on the team bus with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. I know a lot of people might have fear getting back on a team bus after what happened, and that is understandable.

    For myself, I would be and am ready to get back on a team bus again. That atmosphere and experiences for me have always been positive on team busses, and I will take advantage of that experience every chance I get.

    The only downfall for me is that fact I have never been the best when it comes to sleeping on the bus. I always battle trying to fall asleep, but that is only a small nuisance.

    On a solo front, I am actually itching to get on the road to cover a sporting event. I have always enjoyed heading out to different communities especially in the WHL circuit. I hope I get to make my next trip soon.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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WHL’s East Division is the “Group of Death” in 2017-18

Warriors C Justin Almeida (#8) rushes against Raiders D Zack Hayes.

    You might heap criticism on the WHL’s playoff format, but you can’t deny spectators have witnessed some outstanding hockey when the six members of the WHL’s East Division have gone head-to-head in 2017-18.

    In World Cup soccer terms, the East Division comprised of the Brandon Wheat Kings, Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades and Swift Current Broncos became the circuit’s “Group of Death.” When the regular season concluded, all six of these clubs finished in the top seven of the 12 team Eastern Conference based on standings points.

Kale Clague had four assists for the Warriors in their Game 7 win.

    If any of these clubs were in any of the circuit’s other three divisions, they would likely have an easier path when it came to advancing and attempting to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions. Instead, these clubs have been forced to battle tooth and nail against each other to make the post-season and advance.

    While it is unfortunate, the WHL’s playoff structure isn’t set up in a way that allows the potential for more East Division teams to be alive in later rounds. As a result, the drama that has been created among their clashes has been intriguing.

    The first club to be unduly shoved to the off-season in the “Group of Death” was the Blades, who posted a 35-33-3-1 record to finish with the seventh most points in the 12-team Eastern Conference.

Curtis Miske had a big playoffs for the Raiders.

    Due to their sixth place finish in the East Division, the Blades weren’t able to earn one of the two wildcard berths in the conference.

    They watched two clubs that finished with fewer standings points from the Eastern Conference’s Central Division in the Red Deer Rebels (27-32-10-3) and Lethbridge Hurricanes (33-33-6) go head-to-head for a berth in the second round, which was claimed by the Hurricanes in five games.

    Under the league’s hybrid format where you basically play through your division in playoffs, four clubs from the East Division were forced to go head-to-head in best-of-seven first round series. The Moose Jaw Warriors, who finished first overall in the WHL with a 52-15-2-3 record, took on the Prince Albert Raiders (32-27-9-4). The Swift Current Broncos, who finished second overall in the WHL with a 48-17-5-2 mark, faced the Memorial Cup hosting Regina Pats (40-25-6-1).

    Both of those series were ultimately decided in Game 7. The Warriors took out the Raiders 5-4 in a Game 7 on Tuesday in Moose Jaw. The Broncos downed the Pats 3-2 in a Game 7 on Monday in Swift Current.

    Those Game 7s will go down as all-time WHL playoff classics.

Brayden Burke netted the series winner for the Warriors.

    The series between the Warriors and Raiders was definitely the WHL at its best. Out of those seven games, four of them were decided by a single goal including two contests in overtime. The Raiders showed tremendous battle even when they fell behind in the series 3-1 before they managed to even the series up at 3-3.

    Overagers in captain Curtis Miske and Jordy Stallard had outstanding series. Miske topped the Raiders in playoff scoring with three goals and seven assists, while Stallard was second in team playoff scoring with three goals and five assists.

    Sophomore winger Cole Fonstad was the Raiders most noticeable forward collecting four goals, an assist and a plus-two rating in the set.

    The series had many turning points including a missed penalty shot by Miske in the third period of Game 7. With the teams tied 4-4 late in the third period of Game 7, a power-play snipe by winger Brayden Burke with 3:50 to play in the frame before 4,702 spectators at Mosaic Place delivered the Warriors to a 5-4 victory.

    Burke had a pair of assists to go with his goal in the deciding game and played arguably the best hockey of his WHL career in the series. The overager piled up six goals, eight assists and a plus-six rating over the seven games.

Glenn Gawdin scored the series winner for the Broncos.

    Star defenceman Kale Clague, who had been quiet on the offensive front, came through big for the Warriors in Games 7 with four assists to finish with a goal and six assists for the series.

    In Prince Albert, the Raiders battle helped renew enthusiasm for the team. With Curtis Hunt as general manager, Marc Habscheid as head coach, Dave Manson as associate coach and a good crop of potential returnees, the Raiders have a bright future.

    For the Warriors under head coach Tim Hunter, they became that much more battle tough as they move forward in the post-season. Throughout the campaign, the Moose Jaw side has shown a great maturity in staying even emotionally and professional. Those characteristics will aid the Warriors going forward.

Cameron Hebig had a strong series for the Pats against the Broncos.

    The Broncos and Pats also played through an intense series. The fans on both sides still had last year’s second round playoff encounter on their minds, where the Pats rallied from a 3-1 series deficit for the first time in team history to pull out a 4-3 series win.

    After Game 2, this year’s series between the two clubs provided some big swings as far as the scoreboard was concerned. The Broncos claimed Game 3 by a 4-1 margin, and the Pats rebounded with a 6-3 victory in Game 4.

    In Game 5, the Broncos bounced back with a 5-2 victory only to see the Pats claim Game 6 by a 7-2 score to force the series to a Game 7.

    Before a sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators at the Credit Union i-Plex, the two sides played through an intense barnburner. Overage winger Cameron Hebig scored first for the Pats to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at the 6:07 mark of the first period.

Stuart Skinner made 36 saves in the Broncos win in Game 7.

    The Broncos responded with three straight goals to go up 3-1, and their big line of captain Glenn Gawdin, Tyler Steenbergen and Aleksi Heponiemi combined to net two of those tallies. Steenbergen tied the game at 1-1 at the 11:14 mark of the first, while Gawdin put the Broncos up 3-1 at the 13:37 mark of the second. Gawdin completed a beauty passing play for his tally.

    Max Patterson tallied at the 7:45 mark of the second to round out Swift Current’s surge.

    Just when the Pats seemed to be in trouble, energetic forward Robbie Holmes scored with 4:08 to play in the second period to cut the Broncos lead to 3-2. The Pats came hard trying to find the equalizer in the third outshooting the Broncos 14-4 in the frame.

    Netminder Stuart Skinner made 36 saves to allow the Broncos to hold off the Pats and preserve the win.

Ty Lewis and the Wheat Kings eliminated the Medicine Hat Tigers.

    Now, the Warriors and Broncos will go at it in a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series, which begins with Game 1 on Friday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw. While the playoffs should have been structured to have these clubs meet in a conference championship series, you can expect them to put on another must watch series that will be intriguing.

    The Wheat Kings did their part to hold up the East Division’s tough reputation taking out the Central Division champion Medicine Hat Tigers, who were 36-28-8 in the regular season, in a best-of-seven first round series 4-2. Brandon travels to Lethbridge to begin the other best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series at 7 p.m. local time at the Enmax Centre.

The Blades were the team out of the playoff picture in the “Group of Death.”

    While some observers will take shots at the Wheat Kings, who were 40-27-3-2 in the regular season, for settling into the Eastern Conference’s first wildcard spot to get an easier road to the conference championship series, they still had to win their series against the Tigers to add further proof of just how tough the East Division is this season.

    The “Group of Death” has delivered big value for the entertainment dollar in this WHL post-season and another interesting chapter is on tap when the Warriors and Broncos collide.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Sweet, sweet victory – Raiders enter seventh heaven

Goaltender Ian Scott and captain Curtis Miske enjoy the Raiders Game 6 win.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - Wow!

    In an all-time WHL playoff classic, the Prince Albert Raiders have forced a series deciding Game 7 in their best-of-seven first round set with the Moose Jaw Warriors, who topped the league’s regular season standings with a 52-15-2-3 record.

    The two clubs played through an intense back-and-fourth Game 6 on Sunday before 2,835 spectators at the Art Hauser Centre. Locked in a 4-4 tie, Raiders winger Cole Fonstad lifted a shot over the shoulder of Warriors netminder Brody Willms to give the hosts a 5-4 lead with 8:24 to play in the third period.

    The Raiders ensured that 5-4 scored held up as the final outcome on Sunday to tie their series up with the Warriors 3-3. 

Cole Fonstad scored twice for the Raiders on Sunday.

    Game 7 is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.

    Fonstad scored twice on Sunday including the game’s opening tally on a rebound from a shot taken by overage linemate Jordy Stallard at the 7:34 mark of the first period. The Raiders dropped Games 3 and 4 of the series in Prince Albert including a 2-0 heartbreaker in Game 4 on Wednesday to fall behind 3-1 in the series.

    In Game 4, Fonstad had a goal called back just past the midway point of the third period due to incidental contact on Willms by Raiders defenceman Max Martin that would have tied that contest 1-1. The Warriors added an empty-net tally to seal that win.

    Fonstad was pumped to deliver for the Prince Albert fans on Sunday.

    “We kind of let ourselves and the fans down there in Games 3 and 4 there,” said Fonstad. “The fans tonight were amazing.

    “It is unbelievable the atmosphere in this building. We are really lucky to have them.

Brayden Burke had two goals and two assists for the Warriors on Sunday.

    “Obviously, you want to come back after stuff doesn’t go your way. I think we put it behind us real quick and just focused on what we can control.”

    During Sunday’s game, the Raiders were trading hard-working goals against skilled tallies by the Warriors. The two sides found themselves tied up at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4 as Game 6 progressed.

    Captain Curtis Miske had a goal and three assists for the Raiders, who received singles from Sean Montgomery and Regan Nagy.

    Overage winger Brayden Burke led the Warriors attack scoring his team’s first two goals on sweet snipes and drawing assists on stellar tallies by Jayden Halbgewachs and Moose Jaw captain Brett Howden. Halbgewachs, who had 70 goals during the regular season, actually scored for the first time in the series when he gave his team a short-lived 3-2 lead late in the second period.

Raiders goalie Ian Scott works to keep the Warriors at bay.

    Montgomery scored with 59 seconds to play in the second to send the two teams into the third period locked in a 3-3 tie.

    Burke said he wasn’t surprised that his team’s series with the Raiders, who posted a solid 32-27-9-4 record in the regular season, is going to a Game 7 noting the strength of the East Division, which both teams are in.
    The other first round series between two East Division rivals featuring the Swift Current Broncos, who were 48-17-5-2 in the regular season, and the Memorial Cup hosting Regina Pats, who were 40-25-6-1 in the regular season, is going to a Game 7 to be played in Swift Current on Monday.

Jayden Halbgewachs scored for the Warriors on Sunday.

    The Brandon Wheat Kings, who posted a 40-27-3-2 regular season record playing out of the East Division, eliminated the Central Division champion Medicine Hat Tigers in Game 6 of their series in Dauphin, Man., on Sunday 4-3 in overtime.

    “It is a testament to the division,” said Burke. “I think it is the best division in the league this year.

    “Obviously with both series (featuring East Division teams) going to Game 7, it shows that every team is pretty equal. Even if we get through this round, we are going to have another tough test in the second round.

The Art Hauser Centre crowd cheers a Raiders goal on Sunday.

    “It just shows that a lot of teams are good, and you know you can’t take anything for granted.”

    Warriors head coach Tim Hunter echoed Burke’s statement regarding how tough the East Division was and the challenge his team faced in taking on the Raiders.

    “We didn’t think we were going to sweep this team or beat this team four games to one or whatever,” said Hunter. “We knew we were in a series from the get go.

    “They beat us at home in the first game. We knew they were a good hockey team.”

Curtis Miske celebrates a goal and he had three assists for the Raiders.

    Ian Scott turned away 16 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. While he didn’t make many saves, he made a number of quality stops, which included sliding across the crease of his net to rob Warriors centre Justin Almeida with a pad stop early in the second period.

    Miske said Scott’s performance has been key to the success the Raiders have had.

    “He (Scott) only had 20 shots, but he made a couple of saves that probably could have been goals,” said Miske. “He played really well.

    “He has been keeping us in every single game. We’re scoring goals, but he has been stopping them (the Warriors). He has been a huge part of our success so far.”

Raiders RW Brett Leason (#20) breaks into the offensive zone on a rush.

    Willms turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Warriors.

    Going into a series deciding Game 7, the Raiders will be trying to rally back successfully from a 3-1 series deficit for the first time since a second round series in 1996, when they trailed the Pats 3-1 before winning three straight to take the set 4-3.

    Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said he was confident in his players going into Game 7.

    “Our guys are a great group,” said Habscheid. “They are a together group. They play structured. They don’t cheat the game.

    “They play hard, and when you do that, you are going to give yourself a chance. That is the second ranked team (in the final CHL Top 10 rankings) in the country, and we are one game away.

The Raiders salute their faithful at the Art Hauser Centre on Sunday.

    “We are going to go in there and lay it all on the line and see what happens.”

    Hunter also showed belief in his group noting his Warriors rebounded after falling 5-1 to the Raiders in Game 5 in Moose Jaw on Saturday.

    “We played a lot better tonight than we did last night,” said Hunter. “If we play like we did tonight on home ice on Tuesday, we will win the hockey game.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Warriors becoming playoff tough in battle with Raiders

Warriors winger Tate Popple (#18) withstands punishment in front of the net.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - Getting the Prince Albert Raiders in the first round of the WHL playoffs was supposed to be a nightmare for the Moose Jaw Warriors.

    In actuality, that matchup is turning out to be what the Warriors might need.

    After finishing first in the entire WHL with a 52-15-2-3 record, the Warriors didn’t get rewarded by drawing what would typically be a weaker club in the first round of the playoffs. Due to a format where clubs play through their division, the Warriors were forced to face the Raiders, who posted a 32-27-9-4 mark during the regular season, in a best-of-seven first round series.

    The East Division that both teams play out of was viewed this season as one of the toughest divisions the league had seen in some time.

Justin Almeida cuts up ice for the Warriors.

    With the Warriors having only won one post-season series over the previous five years, a date with the hard-hitting and skilled Raiders might be the thing that prepares the Warriors for the rest of the post-season as they move into position to potentially advance to the second round.

    On Wednesday before 2,827 spectators at the Art Hauser Centre, the Warriors claimed a classic gritty playoff contest 2-0 over the host Raiders in Game 4 of their first round series. The win gives the Warriors a 3-1 lead in the set.

    The Warriors will try to close out the series in Game 5 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.

Winger Brayden Burke sets up in the offensive zone for the Warriors.

    In the first period of Wednesday’s clash, the Raiders came out playing in their classic style throwing a number of hits. Raiders defenceman Brayden Pachal and right-winger Carson Miller both nailed Moose Jaw left-winger Ryan Peckford with big hits. Peckford seemed to be on the receiving end of big hits at various times during the night.

    Due to the fact the Warriors have a lot of speed and skill this season, they will continually face teams in the post-season that will try to make them back down by increasing the physical intensity. The key for Moose Jaw to counter this is to play through this type of attention and not do anything dumb in the retaliation department to draw a penalty.

    Early in the second, Pachal, who stands 6-feet and weighs 195 pounds, leveled Warriors overage centre and 70-goal man Jayden Halbgewachs, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 165 pounds, with a high hit. The collision didn’t stop Halbgewachs, who topped the WHL in regular season scoring, from driving hard to the net.

Raiders winger Cole Fonstad had a goal called back.

    The odd time, the Warriors did lose their cool. In the second period, 17-year-old defenceman Jett Woo was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for knocking the stick out of the hands of Raiders rookie left-winger Justin Nachbaur.

    Those lapses were few and far between as Moose Jaw played with great composure for most of the night.

    The Warriors were finally rewarded for their resilience with 3:57 to play in the second period. Centre Justin Almeida streaked down centre towards the Prince Albert net, took a pass from a teammate at the right side boards and fired home is second goal of the post-season to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.

    Defenceman Josh Brook and right-winger Brayden Burke picked up assists on the tally.

    The Raiders continued their physical play with defenceman Zack Hayes nailing Burke and Raiders centre Sean Montgomery nailing Peckford, who came up favouring his right shoulder but stayed in the game.

Jayden Halbgewachs, left, zips down the wing for the Warriors.

    After two periods, the play between the two sides was fairly even with the Raiders holding a 21-17 edge in shots on goal.

    The hosts pushed hard for the equalizer in the third, but Warriors netminder Brody Willms stood tall. He ultimately made 32 saves to earn his first career WHL post-season shutout.

    The Raiders thought they had the equalizer at the 10:24 mark of the third, when right-winger Cole Fonstad fired home a long rebound at the left side of the Moose Jaw goal. The officials had a lengthy conference and ruled Raiders defenceman Max Martin made incidental contact with Willms and disallowed the goal.

Raiders C Jordy Stallard (#19) chases a loose puck after a draw.

    The fans in attendance voiced their displeasure over the call.

    Fonstad created a tonne of offensive chances for the host all game.

    With 80 seconds to play, the Raiders pulled netminder Ian Scott for an extra attacker, but Prince Albert couldn’t final the equalizer. With 15.6 seconds remaining on the clock, Brook sent Burke into the clear on a breakaway towards the empty Prince Albert net, and Burke sealed with win with an empty-net tally.

    Scott turned away 20-of-21 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders.

    The Raiders with their physical play had the potential to wear down the Warriors over a long series.

Warriors D Josh Brook and G Brody Willms celebrate their team’s win.

    Now the Warriors have a chance to close out a series against a tough opponent that is playing hard, playing to win and believes they can win.

    If the Warriors can win at home on Saturday, that would set them up nicely for the second round.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Warriors OK with being hunted

WHL’s top squad knows foes will keep them honest

Brecon Wood (#17) scored a first period goal for the Warriors.

    Jayden Halbgewachs said you can tell his Moose Jaw Warriors are gunned for by every other team in the WHL.

    On Sunday afternoon at the SaskTel Centre, the Warriors took a 3-1 lead against the host Saskatoon Blades only to see that edge evaporate into a 3-3 tie early in the third period. With 7:03 to play in the third, Warriors standout overage right-winger Brayden Burke snuck a bad angle shot home short side on Blades sensational rookie netminder Nolan Maier to give the visitors a 4-3 edge.

    Burke’s goal restored control of the contest to Moose Jaw. Halbgewachs potted his 51^st goal of the season into an empty net with 4.9 seconds to play in the third to seal a 5-3 regular season victory and disappoint most of the 4,511 spectators in attendance.

Brett Howden had a goal and an assist for the Warriors.

    The win was the third in a row for the Warriors and their 11^th victory in their past 12 games. They lead the entire WHL with a 38-7-1-2 record and have a nine point cushion on the 33-11-3-1 Swift Current Broncos for the overall lead in the standings. Moose Jaw is rated second in the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 rankings.

    While the Warriors are enjoying what might turn out to be their best campaign in team history, Halbgewachs, an overage right-winger who has spent his entire WHL playing career in Moose Jaw, said the wins haven’t come easy. As the Warriors pile up accolades, Halbgewachs has noticed foes play his side that much harder. He said his team claimed a hard battle on Friday downing the Memorial Cup hosting Pats in Regina 5-3 and had to find a way to outlast the Blades on Sunday.

    “Obviously, everyone wants to take off the top team,” said Halbgewachs. “Each and every night teams are going to want to come in to play us, and they want beat us every time we play them.

    “They are going to play tough against us. We have to bring our game every night and find ways to win, even if we are not having a hot night like tonight. We had a pretty good game in Regina (on Friday).

Jayden Halbgewachs has 51 goals so far this season for the Warriors.

    “Tonight was just an average game for us in which we need to find a way to play our best game every game.”

    The Warriors had a strong campaign last season posting a 42-21-8-1 record in the regular season before falling in a first round playoff series to the Swift Current Broncos in a series deciding seventh game.

    This season, the Warriors have become the team everyone wants to knock off, and they have been forced to stay honest playing in what has become an extra tough East Division.

    The Blades fell to 23-22-2-1 with their loss on Sunday, but Burke said the Saskatoon side hasn’t been an easy out. The two teams have met four times, and the Warriors have come away with three victories including one win in overtime.

Brayden Burke scored the winner for the Warriors.

    “They (the Blades) are a good team,” said Burke. “They work hard.

    “They shoot the puck well. They forecheck well. They have a good system.

    “Even though they are a little lower in the standings, we know they are a good team. If you look at the East Division, there is not a bad team. Every time we come against a team in the East Division, we have to be at our best, if we want to win, and today was no different.”

    The Warriors jumped ahead 1-0 just 1:48 into Sunday’s clash, when captain Brett Howden tapped home a nice backdoor feed form Halbgewachs. Sophomore left-winger Brecon Woods slipped home an off-speed shot at the 11:42 mark of the opening frame to give the Warriors a 2-0 edge.

    Josh Paterson, who was celebrating his 19^th birthday on Sunday, scored for the Blades with 15.4 seconds to play in the first to cut Moose Jaw’s lead to 2-1.

    Just 51 seconds into the second period, Warriors centre Justin Almeida converted a beauty tick-tack-toe passing play from Burke and Howden to put the Warriors up 3-1.

    The Blades, who look lethargic to that point after beating Pats 4-3 in overtime at the SaskTel Centre on Saturday night, came to life on Sunday after the Warriors took their two-goal edge.

Josh Paterson scored twice in the Blades attempted comeback.

    While Moose Jaw continued to have a decent advantage as far as shots on goal were concerned, the Blades were stringing a number of good shifts together and spending lengthy stretches of time in the Moose Jaw zone.

    The host side’s pressure finally resulted in Paterson’s second goal of the contest and an equalizer from left-winger Eric Florchuk early in the third to force a 3-3 tie.

    That set the stage for Burke’s winner and Halbgewachs’ empty-net goal down the stretch.

    “I kind of went to the net and just wacked it there,” said Burke about his winning tally. “It was maybe a little bit of luck to get in there, but I am happy with the goal and happy with the win.”

    Maier turned away 31 of 35 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades.

The Warriors celebrate their victory over the Blades.

    Saskatoon sits in the second wildcard spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a four point edge over the Prince Albert Raiders (18-20-7-2). The Raiders have a game in hand on the Blades.
    The Blades are four points behind the Pats (24-20-5) for the first wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand.

    Brody Willms stopped 16 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors.

    During the rough patches, Halbgewachs was pleased to see his side never got flustered.

    “Throughout the game, we were just kind of even keel,” said Halbgewachs. “We weren’t really too hot. We weren’t too low.

    “We just kind of rolled through the game. I think we could have played a lot better, but obviously, we got enough chances to win the game. That is the way the game went tonight.”

    The Blades return to action Wednesday, when they travel to Regina to face the Pats. The Warriors are off until this coming Friday, when they travel to Lethbridge to take on the Hurricanes.

Fundraiser underway to have Lazaruk sing national anthem

Blades play-by-play voice Les Lazaruk is participating in a fundraiser.

    A gofundme.com fundraiser is underway to get Les Lazaruk to sing the national anthem before a Saskatoon Blades home game.

    Lazaruk became the Blades play-by-play radio voice at the start of the 1994-95 WHL campaign and he has called 1,794 of their games. If $1,500 is raised, Lazaruk will sing the national anthem before a Blades home game. As of Sunday night, $425 has been raised.

    Lazaruk agreed to this fundraiser as long as the money went to a charity of his choice. He has decided the funds raised will be donated to the Saskatchewan Red Cross to support Pink Day, which is set for February 28.

    Every $20 that is raised will provide a pink shirt to a local child and get them into the Red Cross Pink Day program supporting anti-bullying.

    Those that want to donate to the campaign to get Lazaruk to sing the national anthem can do so by clicking here.

Parker lifts Stars to OT victory with milestone goal

Mackenna Parker achieved another impressive SFMAAAHL milestone.

    Captain Mackenna Parker hit another impressive milestone with the Saskatoon Stars.

    On Sunday at the Agriplace Arena, Parker had two goals - including the winner 22 seconds into overtime - and an assist to lift the Stars to a 3-2 victory over the Notre Dame Hounds. With those two tallies, the skilled centre has scored 74 regular season goals in her career with the Stars to move into a tie with Alyssa Wiebe for second on the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League’s all-time career goals list.

    Wiebe, who is a Saskatoon product, piled up her 74 career goals along with 68 assists for 142 points in 55 career regular season games playing for the Hounds in the SFMAAAHL’s first two seasons of existence from 2006 to 2008. Parker, who is in her fourth season with the Stars, piled up her 74 goals to go along with 72 assists for 146 points in 99 career regular season games.

    Earlier this season, Parker passed Wiebe to sit alone as the second all-time regular season leading scorer in the SFMAAAHL.

    In Sunday’s game, Parker drew an assist on Anna Leschyshyn’s goal 60 seconds into the contest to give the Stars a 1-0 lead. Parker netted her first of the night at the 2:07 mark of the second period to give the Stars a 2-0 lead.

Mackenna Parker leads the SFMAAAHL in scoring with 48 points.

    The Hounds pulled even at 2-2 before the second period ended with short-handed goals coming from the sticks of Portia Eldaun and Lyddi Robart.

    That set the stage for Parker, who played for Canada at the under-18 women’s worlds earlier this month in Dmitrov, Russia, to score her dramatic overtime winner. In 18 regular season games this season with the Stars, the 17-year-old has career highs in goals (25) and assists (23) and leads the SFMAAAHL in scoring with her 48 points.

    Jordan Ivanco turned away 13 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Stars (19-3-1). Kaitlyn Ross turned away 42 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hounds (14-6-1).

    The Stars have collected 55 points in the SFMAAAHL standings coming off 16 regulation victories, three overtime wins and an overtime loss to sit one point back of the Prince Albert Northern Bears (19-3) for first place. The Bears have 56 points in the standings coming from 18 regulation wins and an overtime win. 

    The SFMAAAHL awards three standings points for regulation victories, two points for extra time wins and one point for extra time losses.

    The Bears have a game in hand on the Stars.

    The Stars, who have won five straight contests, return to action on February 8, when they host the Battlefords Sharks at 7:15 p.m. at the Agriplace Arena.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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